Cannabis (aka marijuana) is a genus of flowering plants that consists of three subspecies, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. Cannabis produces hundreds of cannabinoids, which are terpeno-phenolic compounds. Some of these cannabinoids produce psychoactive effects (e.g. delta-9-tertrahydrocannabinol) whereas other cannabinoids are biologically-active and produce wide-ranging effects as disparate as conjunctive vasodilation, immune system regulation, stimulation of appetite, sleep-induction, and analgesia. Medical use of Cannabis is practiced today and has a history going back thousands of years, however, the medical utility of Cannabis is a topic of much contention. Several states have legalized the recreational and medical use of Cannabis and more states have placed Cannabis legalization on ballots for the voters of these states to determine its legal status. Currently, the US Federal government does not recognize the medical utility of Cannabis but has not interceded in the sale and distribution of Cannabis in those states where its use has been legalized. The eventual legal status of Cannabis at the federal level is uncertain. Despite the confusing and evolving legal status of Cannabis, it is one of the most commonly-used psychoactive substances in the world, exceeded only by ethanol-containing beverages, tobacco (nicotine), and coffee (caffeine).
One of the known biological effects of the consumption of Cannabis is intoxication via psychoactive cannabinoids (e.g. delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). The psychoactive effects of cannabis are the reason it is used as a recreational intoxicant. The mechanism for Cannabis-induced intoxication is via agonism of cannabinoid subtype 1 (CB1) receptors. While the intoxication from cannabis is usually described as pleasurable, high doses of cannabis can result in dysphoria, including panic, generalized anxiety, and adverse bodily sensations. The lack of quality control and great differences in cannabinoid content between cannabis strains can result in some cannabis extracts to be extremely potent, and more likely to induce high-dose cannabis-induced dysphoria. This risk is increased when the cannabis is ingested as an edible form (e.g. cannabis-infused brownies, cookies, and lozenges). It is proposed that these dysphoric effects of high-dose cannabis would be reversed by chemical antagonists or inverse agonists of the CB1 receptor.